Betsy Devos for education (Sanders is on this Committee) – I’m <______>, a constituent. I’m <an educator / a parent / an advocate for education> and I want <Senator ____ or the Commitee> to stop Betsy DeVos’s confirmation. DeVos doesn’t have an education degree or even teaching experience. Rather, she’s a powerful donor who advocates for school choice, which is useless without regard for school quality. Instead of specializing in pedagogy or curriculum, DeVos’s skillset is commandeering public funding for private education. She was a key player in shaping the Michigan charter school system, which is severely lacking in oversight, demanding little accountability for how tax dollars are spent or how well students are educated. I don’t want to see the same thing happen nationally, and I expect <Senator ______ or the Committee> to take a stand for quality education. America’s students and teachers deserve better than DeVos! from http://thesixtyfive.org/theIssues

Rex Tillerson for State – I’m <______>, a constituent. I want <Senator ______> to vote AGAINST Rex Tillerson’s confirmation. Tillerson has no true diplomatic experience. His experience negotiating with foreign powers for energy deals has not prepared him for serving as Secretary of State. In fact, Tillerson’s ties with Russia and ExxonMobil are instead conflicts of interest that will make it impossible for him to oversee foreign policy ethically and effectively. I expect <Senator ______> to protect the integrity of the State Department by rejecting Tillerson’s confirmation, and I’ll be paying close attention to the vote. from http://thesixtyfive.org/theIssues

Andy Puzder for Labor – – I’m a constituent. I want <Senator ______> to vote AGAINST Andy Puzder’s confirmation because of his opposition to workers’ rights and fair wages.

Tom Price for Health and Human Services – I’m a constituent. I want <Senator ______> to vote AGAINST Tom Price’s confirmation because of his opposition to ACA.

Scott Pruitt for EPA – I’m a constituent. I want <Senator ______> to vote AGAINST Scott Pruitt’s confirmation because he is a climate change denier.

Jeff Sessions for Attorney General (Leahy is on this Committee) – I’m a constituent. I want <Senator ______> to vote AGAINST Jeff Session’s confirmation because his record shows that he will not protect civil rights or voting rights.

“We need to make sure all Democrats are on board, including Corey Booker (who voted against Bernie’s last amendment, probably having something to do with the $200,000-$300,000.00 he gets from the pharmaceutical industry) and we need to make sure Senator Schumer knows it’s his job to rally every last Democrat, McConnell rallied his troops, we have to be stronger! Call call call!

Complain about Canadian’s being denied entry into US (from Carol Ballou’s email on this subject):

“This was on Daily Kos. I’ve complained to Leahy and Sanders. You may want to complain also. This behavior needs to see the light of day so it doesn’t become acceptable.

The Guardian is reporting that numerous Canadian, French and British citizens have been denied entry to the United States because they intended to join today’s anti-Trump protests. www.theguardian.com/…

At at least one border crossing, the first question they were asked by border patrol officers was “Are you anti- or pro-Trump?” They were also all seriously harassed. They were put into secondary inspection for hours, interrogated, fingerprinted, photographed, all their belongings and vehicles were pawed through, and they were told they would need visas to enter in the future.

I’ve been a U.S. immigration lawyer for 30 years, and my hands are shaking like leaves in a hurricane. That’s outrageous! By statute, Canadians are visa-exempt. The border patrol agents have no authority to deny admission for political reasons! French and British citizens also do not need visas under the Visa Waiver Program. The claim that they will need visas in the future must mean that they were formally placed on a terrorist watch list!

This is incredibly un-American. But under a fascist regime, the low-lifes with guns always turn ugly.

This happened at more than one border crossing, which suggests it was not just a few rogue officers but was coordinated from the top of Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

UPDATE: This is a big story around the world. Here are a few more selected articles:

I am writing to ask you to oppose HR 193, the American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2017, sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers. This bill would pull the United States out of the United Nations, which would send a dangerous message to the world that we are now isolationists.

The value of remaining in the UN cannot be overstated. I support conflict resolution with the nations of the world through diplomacy, which depends on having active relationships with our global neighbors. There has not been a large-scale international armed conflict on the scale of World War II since the establishment of the UN. And, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains a bedrock document for humanitarian efforts to improve the quality of life of all people around the globe, including right here at home in the United States. Let us not forget the US leadership in this arena, since former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt drafted the UN-UDHR. Withdrawing from the UN would mean turning our backs on our own legacy as a nation.

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